The Tale of Two Downtowns

By Judy Nadler

When Michael Nguyen was elected president of the Vietnamese Chamber of
Commerce, he had a long "to do" list. First among his many priorities
was to foster closer relationships between the burgeoning Vietnamese business
community and the Centerville City Council. His first opportunity came
in a matter of weeks. At their annual goal-setting meeting, the mayor
and council created an Office of Economic Development, and Michael was
appointed to the Task Force. As the owner of two small dry-cleaning stores,
he was particularly concerned about how local businesses could compete
with large chains, especially in the outdated downtown.

As his term as chamber president drew to a close, Michael was drafted
to run for an open seat on the city council. The Vietnamese-American community
celebrated his campaign kick-off with an old-fashioned political rally,
complete with rousing speeches. His finance chair and good friend, Kevin
Tran, had no problem raising enough money for a successful race. Although
he didn't envision himself a politician, Michael found he enjoyed the
hand shaking, speech making, and celebrity status that went along with
the campaign. The press covered his every move, as he was the first Vietnamese-American
candidate in the city's history. His platform included many things on
his chamber "to-do" list, with the revitalization of the downtown as his
number one-campaign promise.

After his successful election, the pressure began to mount about how
and when to re-develop the downtown. Tran, his finance chair, owned two-blocks
in the core area and proposed a citizens' committee to advise the council
and the Economic Development Task Force. Michael had resigned his position
on the task force, and although he felt a little uncomfortable, he decided
to appoint Tran, rationalizing that it was because of his insights as
a property owner and not because of his campaign fund-raising efforts.

The citizens ultimately recommend two proposals to the city council.
The first provided low-cost loans to businesses to refurbish their buildings.
It created a business improvement district, and collected membership fees
from owners for advertising and marketing. This model had been successful
in turning around a neighborhood shopping center in the historic district
of town.

The second proposal called for the city to establish a redevelopment
agency, purchase a six-block area at the core, and create a new downtown.
The businesses affected would be given first priority for relocating in
the new buildings and would be given a subsidy during the construction
period to counter any loss of business in their temporary locations.

The Vietnamese business community was unanimous in their support of the
project. While he could see the benefit of the "brand new" downtown, Michael
felt businesses in other parts of the city were not likely to receive
the same level of support and would view the proposals as favoritism.
Because of his business experience and stature in the Vietnamese-American
community, Michael's council colleagues were looking to him for guidance.
He had to weigh his strong allegiance to the community of supporters who
elected him, and especially to his former finance chair, against what
he saw as a fairness issue.

Questions:

Should Michael Nguyen's ethnicity have any impact on his land-use
decision? Why or why not?

How should he balance the request from the Vietnamese-American community
and the needs of other segments of the community?

The views expressed on this site are the author's. The
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics does not advocate particular positions
but seeks to encourage dialogue on the ethical dimensions of current
issues. The Center welcomes comments
and alternative points of view.